Jo-Han

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Jo-Han (JoHan) is a manufacturer of plastic scale model kits based in Covington, KY. The company was founded in 1947 by tool and die maker John Hanley.

[edit] History

The first products were model aircraft and other promotional items. Some of the early projects included scale model kitchen sets and a model of Chrysler's fluid drive transmission. Due to the success of these models, the company was awarded contracts to produce assembled model cars for GM and Chrysler to be used as promotional examples for the 1955 model year.

The company was first called the Ideal Toy Company. This name was changed due to a conflict with the existing Ideal Toy Company. It was changed to Jo-Han Models, reflecting the 1st two letters the 1st three letters of Hanley's name. The company's 1955 Pontiac promotional models actually used both names during the transition.

In 1959 Jo-Han began using styrene as opposed to cellulose acetate plastic that warped easily.

The 1950s and 1960s are considered a "golden age" for model kit cars.^[1] Most of these kits were known as "annual" kits for hobbyists, kit versions of the promos that represented the new cars that were introduced at the beginning of each model year. These plastic models were intricately detailed, with body scripts, trim, and emblems, as well as dashboard details, exact duplicates of the real thing, in 1/25 scale.^[2]

Two kit versions of the 1963 Chrysler Turbine Cars were significant, a white race car version with friction drive and a standard bronze promotional. They were nearly as incredible as the real car, with such details as folding seats, opening doors, hood, deck lid, steerable front wheels and more.^[3]

Jo-Han models were offered throughout the 1960s, offering some of the most accurately detailed miniatures available in plastic scale. AMC, Cadillac, Oldsmobile, Studebaker, and Chrysler were well-represented in promo form during this era. But as the promotional model business tapered off in the 1970s, it became financially difficult for Jo-Han to develop new tooling. The last new tooling was of the 1977 Cadillac, which was continued as both 1978 and 1979 model Coupe deVilles in promo and snap-kit form.

The decrease in demand was a result of builders growing older and moving on to other pursuits. By the early 1980s, model building had been largely replaced by video gaming as a favorite pastime of American youth.^[4]

Jo-Han limped through the 1980s by re-issuing old kits and promos. Some of these re-issued promos, marketed under the X-El name, have escalated in collector value, however, since they were rather well rendered, and featured unique but accurate color schemes.

In 1991 the company was purchased by Seville Enterprises, a manufacturer of plastic parts for the auto industry. Seville, at one time located in Romeo, Michigan, once again offered (mostly by mail order) kits and promos off the old original Jo-Han dies. A few one-off Paint combinations were also known to have been created by Seville during these years.

In 2000 Jo-Han was purchased from the ailing Seville by Mr. Okey Spaulding; thus establishing a new company, "JoHan Models LLC", and it is now producing a few of the original models in limited quantities, including the 1963 Chrysler Turbine car, 1959 Rambler station wagon, as well as some 1950s Oldsmobile and Plymouth cars.^[5]